Number III: A Public Service Announcement

[nobody_number_8]

[The transmission opens with a full body shot of Axel. It seems he has the communicator propped up on something in order to allow a wider view, and from the looks of the background, he's somewhere around the Junkpile.]

Hey there, robots of Haven. Autobots, Decepticons and.... miscellaneous others. Thank you all for tuning in today for this very special public service announcement.

What is it about, you might ask? Well, to be perfectly honest, it's about your attitudes. Specifically, your attitudes towards humans, humanoids, and other organics like myself.

Now I know what some of you are probably thinking. 'What's that pointy-haired weirdo talking about? I like organics just fine. Why, some of my best friends are organics!' And believe me, we all appreciate the friendliness and general lack of deliberate attempts to stomp us.

However, it's not the liking part that's the issue here. What the issue is is the simple fact that you all seem to think being 20-feet tall and made of metal automatically means that you're superior. Especially when it comes to the ability to defend yourself. And I don't just mean certain unpleasant individuals who'd try to squish us for fun. I mean all of you, or at least most of you.

You might try to be nice about it, and you're probably genuinely trying to protect them, but when one of your organic friends wants to help out in a fight? Your general attitude always tends to come off as 'Look, it's cute that you think you can help, but just sit over here while the grown-ups handle things, OK?' And when your friends actually can fight? It's as condescending as hell.

Case in point, my friend Sora. Recently, Knockout locked him in his medbay with him in an attempt to protect him. Which would be great... if Sora needed it. But he doesn't. Lemme tell you a little bit about Sora.

This kid spends most of his time back home traveling from world to world fighting monsters made of pure Darkness called Heartless. I once saw him take out 1000 of them in the space of about ten minutes using nothing but his Keyblade and his wits. Aside from Heartless, he's also fought and beaten- among other things- pirates, the Boogie Man, a sea witch imbued with all the power of the ocean and grown to the size of a skyscraper, and a sorceress who turned into a giant, fire-breathing dragon. Not to mention, he's saved the world at least twice.

I could go on, but the bottom line is that he can damn well take care of himself, even against things like you. He doesn't need to be protected or coddled. In fact, he should probably be protecting some of you.

And just in case you think Sora is an isolated case...

[Axel steps a bit to one side, revealing a chunk of Cybertronian-looking scrap-metal about the size of a fridge.]

Here's a nice chunk of Cybertronian metal. And here's what a guy like me can do to it if I'm so inclined.

[Axel points a palm at the chunk of metal and tosses off a Firaga at it. The large fireball strikes and envelops the chunk of scrap, which quickly becomes red hot and begins to melt. When the fire dissipates a few moments later, the chunk of metal is badly scorched and melted enough to be mostly unrecognizable compared to its previous state.

Axel turns calmly back to the camera.]

So for future reference? Don't automatically assume that just because we're small and squishy that we're helpless. It'll save your organic friends a lot of frustration and it'll save you from looking like an ass.

Any questions?

Comments

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

Was that absolutely necessary? [Shaking her helm, and there's a slight quirk to one optic. Threats don't make people look on you favourably, Axel.]

Why assume everybody thinks humans or organics are inferior? I'm pretty sure a lot of us don't. And anyway... putting aside if Knock Out knew Sora had done that - a lot of people want to protect others, regardless of if they need it or not.

Annoying, yes, but as long as they don't assume you incompetent... [She huffs a little, the last is basically her own insecurity speaking. She knows Grimlock and the others does not question her competence... she still isn't sure.]

Re: [video]

[heartdive]

Protecting others is fine. I get that's what he was doing - even if it made me mad that it felt like he had no faith in me to be able to handle myself.

But sometimes? You just have to let people do their thing. You can't protect everyone.

[ Sora's learned that one the hard way. And that last sentence is spoken with that sort of weight. ]

M'not really mad anymore though.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

True. [Elita smiles, a lopsided little thing.] Sometimes you do need to be left to do your thing. [She might not know exactly what Sora has gone through, but she can identify with the sentiment.]

I'm just not sure this was necessary for what he wanted to say, even if both he and you are correct.

[video]

[heartdive]

Probably not... But I don't think Axel is happy unless he is burning or melting something.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

Pyromaniacs, hmm? [Chuckling, she shakes her helm.] Not that that makes the threat itself any better, but some people can't resist showing off. I've seen that type before.

[video]

[heartdive]

I can't really say threatening is a good thing and showing off isn't the best way to make friends...

But I might have done something like that anyway yesterday so I don't really have room to talk.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

[She laughs, then, because Sora seem a bit more... contrite about it.]

Sometimes showing off isn't a bad idea. You did it when Knock Out locked you in the medbay when he closed it down?

[video]

[heartdive]

Yeah... He and Ratchet were kind of arguing and I didn't like being looked at like I was.

[ or dismissed, really. because there had been a little of that going on. by BOTH of them. ]

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

Being ignored is neither fun nor particularly nice of people to do. Can hardly blame you in that case.

[She grins, a bit lopsidedly.] Correcting that there's nothing wrong with.

[video]

[heartdive]

It turned out pretty good in the end, so I don't really have complaints about that.

And I think I can show you some stuff now. Not gonna be melting anything, though.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

Good. And as long as you don't attempt to melt me I wouldn't even mind a show of fire, but if you have something else to show, I'm certainly not going to say no to that.

[video]

[heartdive]

Nah, I wouldn't try to melt anyone here - unless they attacked me first.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

Hmm, which is something that could happen, since we've had a few attacks, which I think you've probably noticed, or heard about.

[She shakes her helm.]

So it's a good thing you have more in your personal arsenal now. [Narrowing her optics thoughtfully, she looks him over briefly.] What about weapons, if you would end up having to defend yourself? Anything that you can use here?

[He must obviously have some, but whether it can be used here or not is another question, and if he does, that's all that's needed.]

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

Eh, maybe not. But you gotta admit, it looked pretty cool, didn't it?

[And if Axel's going to threaten someone, he does it one on one. That, he would call a demonstration. Or perhaps a warning to those who might get any idea with regards to him and his friends.]

Anyway, not pointing the finger at anybody personally here. And thankfully Sora's been making up for the fact that I have about as much tact as Demyx had work ethic.

It's just, well, protecting others is great and all that. But when they don't want that protection, or you go about trying to do it in the wrong way, it just ends up pissing them off. I oughta know; I wound up driving my best friend away because I tried to protect him in ways he didn't want.

Kinda don't want anything like that to happen to anybody here. I don't think most of you'd do it on purpose, to be honest, but you know what they say about roads paved with good intentions...

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

I suppose I could agree that it did. [So dry.]

And true, but then you have to know that they don't need it, and if you don't know... [She shrugs.] Sora is prettty personable, isn't he?

[She smiles slightly at that and then cocks her helm.]

And I might, but I also might not know about what people say about roads and good intentions because I have a feeling we might be thinking of different... if similar... things.

[In the end, the saying she's thinking of might be very similar to the one Axel is thinking of, but it's hard to say when she has never properly learned any Earth languages... or even less other realities' languages.]

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel shrugs slightly.]

From what I understand, Sora's told people here about what he can do; they just don't seem to believe him. Hence the choice to offer a more... visible demonstration.

But yeah... Sora just seems to... draw in everyone around him. Like a cute, little spikey-haired magnet. And once you're there, he'll friend you until it sticks. He's already gotten to Knockout; I can tell.

[A lot like he got to a certain other formerly evil redhead too, but Axel's not going to mention that here.]

Yeah... I'm pretty sure most cultures have a saying like that. Because damned if it isn't true sometimes.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

I think that might depend more on the people... and our experiences. [Elita tilts her helm, lips quirking in a smile.] "Magic" isn't something that I would know to exist, which means it gets hard to believe it, for example, and vastly different realities would sound... fantastical to impossible.

I noticed. [She laughs, easily.] He's sweet.

And yes. Intentions won't keep the road from collapsing if it's badly built.

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

Well, before I was brought here, I could've said the same about giant robots that turn into cars and things. But given that we were all yanked through time and space by the seats of our proverbial pants to get here, one would think that everybody here would be used to the varying types of weirdness after awhile.

And yeah, he certainly is that. A little too sweet for his own good sometimes, if you asked me, but eh...

[He shrugs in a 'what can you do?' gesture.]

...My saying was a bit different from that, but it does sound like they mean about the same thing.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

True, but for anyone that's a cybertronian? This might not be our home, but it's still very much Cybertron, so the context is similar enough that, after having accepted a different reality...

[She shrugs.]

I'd guess it'd be different if all of us would have landed in a reality we don't recognise at all.

And sometimes people are like that. [It's a fond remark more than a well, duh sort of comment.]

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel shrugs.]

Guess when you've done as much world hopping as I have, you tend to get used to the idea that different worlds can have very different rules, even if they look similar to a place you're familiar with. Of course, the Heartless everywhere tended to help with the feeling of familiarity. Same shit, different world.

And yeah they are. I seem to have attracted two of them; don't ask me how.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

One begets another. [Grin.] Perhaps you ought to be careful so you don't end up with more of them.

And I think so, yes. If you're used to it, something unexpected but still familiar gets far easier to accept or pick up the new rules in.

[She smiles a bit dryly and gives anotehr shrug.]

Heartless, though?

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

Eh, can't say I'm really complaining. I just... question their judgement sometimes. Despite what they seem to think, I'm not really great friend material.

And yeah, Heartless. Creatures made of pure Darkness that try to steal and consume people's hearts to replicate themselves. Really icky things.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

I don't think we ever get to decide such a thing, who our friends are... unless you actually don't like them and don't want them to be friends of you because of that, not because you don't feel you're good... ah, friend material.

... Interesting. I'm not sure I follow, precisely, but it's not hard to figure out they're not good.

[A dry smile.]

Re: [video]

[nobody_number_8]

Nah, I like these kids. They seem to think I'm a better guy than I actually am. Or determined to try and make me one. I'm not sure.

Yes. Definitely not good. And the fun thing about them is that only a Keyblade can take them out for good. Otherwise you smack them in one place, they'll just pop up somewhere else later.

[video]

[invisiblepinkboat]

I think, with those two stand points, they might lead to the same end, actually. [She might be amused. You poor thing, Axel.]

Ah... Yeah, that sounds like a singularly unpleasant situation, since it means anyone without the proper weapon can only do maintenance, so to speak, and you're basically fighting in the same contained battle, just continuous.

[She shakes her helm.]